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Mustafa al-Karim
) |order2 = Chairman of the Defence Committee |term_start2 = 12th December 1961 |term_end2 = 18th June 1972 |predecessor2 = Position established ( ) |successor2 = Position abolished |order3 = Regional Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Qatif Region |term_start3 = 12th December 1961 |term_end3 = 17th August 1986 |predecessor3 = Omar Zaki |successor3 = Rahman Bin Omar |birth_date = 12th November 1912 |birth_place = Al-Tuwaiq, Qatif |death_date = 28th September 1986 (74) |death_place = Palace of Union, Qatif City, Qatif |party = Qatifi Ba'ath Party |spouse = Fawzia al-Nayef |children = Abdulaziz Amal |profession = Politician |religion = |languages_spoken = |allegiance = Sultanate of Qatif Qatif |branch = Qatifi Army |serviceyears = 1933 - 1986 |rank = |unit = |commands = Qatifi Armed Forces |battles = , Tabawa Revolution (1961 Qatifi coup d'état), , Qatif-Trucial War, |awards = }} Mustafa al-Karim (12th November 1912 - 28th September 1986, aged 74) was a Qatifi politician who served as the of Qatif from 1961 to his death in 1986, being its first president. He is considered the founding father of the modern Qatifi state with his political theories being known as Qatifi Ba'athism. Born in a family of merchants in 1912, al-Karim joined a military officers academy in 1933 where he graduated in 1936, and was promoted to Brigadier general in 1947 following the independence of Qatif from Britain. al-Karim coordinated Qatifi forces during the , where the defeat of Arab forces greatly weakened the Sultan's government of Qatif. al-Karim was appointed as General of the Qatifi army in 1958. In 1961 Sultan Al-Qa'im ibn al-Aziz ibn Mohammed al-Tahir and royalist supporters entered a political deadlock with prime minister Nasser bin Mutaib of the Qatifi Regional Branch of the , which had been elected a few months prior. The Ba'ath Party called for the removal of several Islamic Scholars (known as the Majlis) in the Qatifi government, an order steadfastly refused by the Sultan. This political indecision caused mass street protests that would become known as the Tabawa Revolution to take place across the country, some of which supported by the Ba'ath Party and the Communist Party of Qatif, others by the royal government. In December 1961 al-Karim and a cadre of military officers fearing Qatif was on the brink of revolution led a against al-Tahir and liquidating the Ba'ath party before coopting many of its former members and policies incorporating them into a reformed Qatifi Ba'ath Party. A new government known as the Revolutionary Committee led by al-Karim and a cadre of military officers was set up that saw to the protests being successfully ended within a month with many of the sultans most ardent supporters being purged. Single-party rule was installed as the Ba'ath Party supported by the military became dominant. A de facto was formed which consisted of al-Karim (head of defence), Rifaat Abdul (head of the economy) Omar Zaki (chief of propaganda) and Othman al-Hussein (head of the secret police). Over time al-Karim out manoeuvred the other members of the tetrarchy until he became the paramount leader of Qatif, with Zaki being purged in 1967, Abdul 1971, and al-Hussein 1980. Under al-Karim the government had started to implement policies with land reform and industrialisation programs enacted that modernised Qatif. al-Karim, inspired by of , embarked on the aggressive which was most successful in the urban, Shiite majority areas of Qatif, with replaced with Qatifi Ba'athism, a primarily , ideology that nonetheless used elements of being formulated by Ba'athist and arch-leftist Omar Zaki who was later purged. al-Karim's rule was also largely with political and religious dissent punished harshly with purges, death squads, extra judicial killings, torture, imprisonment and labour camps becoming the hall marks of the regime. al-Karim dropped much of the policies of the Ba'ath Party, but did participate in the as well as foster close relations with , and . Despite his socialist policies al-Karim at first largely avoided forging close alliances with the and the as well as the and its , although al-Karim's staunch opposition to forced Qatif to receive financial aid from the USSR. Discontent with the al-Karim regime led to him to order an invasion of on the advice of general Rifaat Abdul in a bid to stir up popular national support, igniting the Qatif-Trucial War. Qatif's invasion of Bahrain was repelled, although the subsequent invasion of Qatif by the Trucial States was eventually rebuffed by Qatifi forces with Soviet assistance forcing al-Karim to enter a permanent if tentative alliance with the USSR. Following the war al-Karim dissolved the Revolutionary Committee and formed the Arab Republic of Qatif where multi-party elections were held. However, these elections were heavily rigged in favour of the Ba'ath Party who had a monopoly on power. In 1986 al-Karim died of a stroke, aged 74, with his death soon destabilising Qatif leading to a civil war that ended in 1991. His legacy remains controversial today both in Qatif and internationally. al-Karim's supporters often point towards his secularisation and modernisation policies as a success - women under al-Karim largely benefited with equal right to men, and in modern Qatif enjoy more rights then other Arab nations. Critics often highlight the brutality of al-Karim's regime as well as the economic stagnation seen towards the end of his rule. al-Karim's handling of the 1971 war with the Trucial States has also overshadowed his legacy with some claiming that al-Karim had been the driving force behind the invasion, whilst others point to his deputy Rifaat Abdul. al-Karim' is still largely prevalent in Qatif to this day. Early life Coup d'état Revolutionary Committee (1961-1972) Arab Republic (1972-1986) Final years and death Family Legacy Historical analysis Awards and decorations Domestic Foreign Category:Individuals Category:Qatif